Sport in Short: Boxing

LENNOX LEWIS will be stripped of the European heavyweight championship at 5.0pm today unless a letter from his manager, Frank Maloney, persuades the European Boxing Union to put back the 31 October deadline for his compulsory title defence against London's Henry Akinwande. Lewis is already committed to a world title eliminator against Razor Ruddock, of the United States, at Earl's Court on Hallowe'en Night.

PAT BARRETT, of Manchester, will fight for the first time since his points defeat in July by Manning Galloway, the World Boxing Organisation light-welterweight champion, against Mexico's Cirilo Nino at Olympia, London on 26 September.